PART 5Closed periods for spreading nitrogen fertiliser
Meaning of “organic manure with high readily available nitrogen”17
In this Part, “organic manure with high readily available nitrogen” means organic manure in which more than 30 % of the total nitrogen content is available to the crop at the time of spreading.
Closed periods for spreading organic manure with high readily available nitrogen18
Subject to regulations 19 and 20, no person may spread organic manure with high readily available nitrogen on land between the following dates, all inclusive (“the closed period”)—
Soil Type | Grassland | Tillage land |
|---|---|---|
Sandy or shallow soil | 1 September to 31 December | 1 August to 31 December |
All other soils | 15 October to 15 January | 1 October to 31 January |
Exemptions: crops sown before 15 September19
Spreading organic manure with high readily available nitrogen on tillage land with sandy or shallow soil is permitted between 1 August and 15 September inclusive provided that the crop is sown on or before 15 September.
Exemptions for organic holdings20
An occupier of a holding who has submitted his or her undertaking to the control system referred to in Article 27 of Council Regulation (EC) 834/20078 may spread organic manure with high readily available nitrogen at any time on—
a
crops listed in the table in Schedule 4 (permitted crops for the closed period), or
b
other crops in accordance with written advice from a person who is a member of the Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme9,
provided that each hectare on which organic manure is spread does not receive more than 150 kg total nitrogen between the start of the closed period and the end of February.
Restrictions following the closed period21
From the end of the closed period until the end of February—
a
the maximum amount of slurry that may be spread at any one time is 30 cubic metres per hectare and the maximum amount of poultry manure that may be spread at any one time is 8 tonnes per hectare, and
b
there must be at least three weeks between each spreading.
Times in which spreading manufactured nitrogen fertiliser is prohibited22
1
No person may spread manufactured nitrogen fertiliser on land during the following periods (all dates inclusive)—
a
in the case of grassland, from 15 September to 15 January, or
b
in the case of tillage land, from 1 September to 15 January.
2
Spreading fertiliser during these periods is permitted on the crops specified in the Table in Schedule 4, provided that the maximum rate in column 2 is not exceeded.
3
Spreading during those periods on crops not in Schedule 4 is permitted on the basis of written advice from a person who is a member of the Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme.